A/N
Hi yes I'm back and have nothing to say for myself. Next chapter is almost finished and you better believe it's a juicy one. I'll try to have it posted on Sunday evening.
Hogwarts houses at the bottom!
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine, which should go without saying at this point.
The tension was there.
It clung to the white walls and stone floor like a living entity, poisoning the air with its very presence, so undeniably other that it was impossible to ignore.
I sat at the very end of the entry way, with my back to the wall and as far as I could get from those doors. I'd studied each moon phase carved into the wood, every inch and corner of not only the doors but the hall they resided in.
( the way it seemed to… shudder, shudder and fight against the pristine palace walls; almost as though the proximity of the door would not allow this entry way to remain untarnished as the rest of the Moon Palace)
At some point in these observations, the answer to that long awaited question had come. It was within me now, a wretched little thought that bounced around my mind, calculating the risk, the foreseeable consequences. It weighed on my shoulders almost as heavily as the thought of death, of failing Serenity.
However, I could do it.
I could finish this so easily, if only I was willing to accept the consequences of what needed to be done. The cost… somehow it appeared greater to me, an act that I no longer wished to take despite having come into this with the intent to do something similar. Yet… I didn't want to hurt the Order. I didn't want to betray Rei, or Minako, or even Makoto. I had no real interest in the plans of the Order of Elysion, that much remained true, however that did not mean… Nothing in me wished to cause them or their movement any harm. We were vastly different people, with opposing goals in the long term, but… they weren't terrible people, I could see that now.
Irritating individuals with an unholy goal of world domination, but not awful.
Not deserving of a betrayal to this degree.
It was one thing to fall into their ranks and play along, pretending to be one of them; that had been for survival, a necessity to unravel this unknown mystery of the threat against us and an action I still did not regret. The Order was not attempting to plot against or do me in — this time — and so while I held no great trust in any of them, it did not seem entirely right to enact the course of action that itched at my mind. It would be an undeserving blow, and though I was many things, malicious without cause did not happen to be one of them. The very idea of it had dread curling within and my stomach churning; betrayal of not just the Order, but one of the few people precious to me in this world.
I loved Matsuo, loved him as much as I loved Serenity.
He had made his choice though, hadn't he? The Order of Elysion was as precious to him as Serenity was to me and… and it wasn't his life on the line here.
It wasn't his future at stake.
Time was running out. I could feel it at the very core of my being, and an instinctive part of me knew that if I didn't act soon, I would lose my chance. This needed to be done on my terms if I had any hope of succeeding. I rose from the stone floor and spared one last look at the doors, seeing beyond them to what must be done. I understood the costs and risks; that once this began there would be no walking away from it, no hiding from the aftermath or the consequences.
I would go through with it.
Despite the pandemonium that would surely follow, I would do it. There had never been any question of where I stood, at the end of things; I would always choose Serenity, even if choosing her meant paving my own descent into Hell.
I would gladly pay the price.
The Fabler had closed for the night.
It was in the dressing room, after the other employees had left, that I found myself staring down Harumi and Hajime-sensei. Neither looked pleased at what they had been told, yet they had the decency to at least hear me out.
"How long?" Hajime-Sensei asked flatly. His gaze bore into me with an intensity that made me squirm. I'd fight a hundred youma before ever even thinking of going toe to toe with him. An entire court of evil hadn't been able to unnerve me the way Hajime-Sensei could.
"A week from tomorrow." I told him, shifting in my seat. "Two, if I'm being realistic about it."
"And you will come back?"
"Yes." I couldn't afford to not return. "I just need someone to watch the house while I'm gone. There's a notebook and an envelope of money above the fridge; you're welcome to look at both so you know what is and isn't in the house. I should be back before Valentine's Day but… well, there's no accounting for the unknown."
Harumi stood and began pacing, muttering quietly to himself. After a moment, he turned to meet my gaze. "It's short notice and while I appreciate the face to face conversation, you've disappeared before without explanation. I want the truth, Usagi. Where are you going, and why? You can't expect us to keep this from Matsuo without some kind of… reasoning."
The lie was poised at the tip of my tongue, ready to roll off in a smooth delivery, and yet without immediate understanding I found myself hesitating.
As Harumi stared down at me, as the concern and grief in his eyes registered, the same emotions reflecting in Hajime-Sensei's muted gaze, the words fled from my mind. For whatever reason it was in this moment that it struck me; the high wage, the free lessons, choosing my own work schedule, getting assistance with the shopping and delivery of furniture to the house. It wasn't some vague moral obligation that had led them to continually help out the fourteen year old girl that had stumbled into their lives; no, the reasoning went far deeper than that, enough to make my throat tight as I realized…
I might have become someone precious to them.
Precious, in the way that Matsuo and Serenity were to me, someone worth caring for and looking after. And that floored me. That someone could look at me from the outside, unaware of Sailor Moon or the millennia old tale that shadowed her, and see something worth loving.
So I abandoned the lies, and carefully weaved out the truth in a way they could understand. "I have a sister. A… twin. During all those months away, she was who I had been with. Right now, she's very far away and… and she needs my help. The house… I was trying to build something for her to call home, I thought I'd had time but it's looking like that isn't the case anymore. So I'm going to get her, and it is going to take some time."
Hajime-Sensei cocked his head, catching something unsaid. "You're going to get her because she's in trouble."
"Yes."
"…It's dangerous, too."
I swallowed. "Yeah. It's dangerous, and I can't- no, I won't risk anyone getting in the way."
Neither said anything to that, but I could sense the rising protest.
Of course they thought they could help, Harumi and Hajime-Sensei were the most capable people I had ever known, not just in this world but in the one before. However, this was no normal issue where they could be of help. I looked Harumi in the eye, "I will not risk the safety of my sister. She is my responsibility, do you understand?"
From the hardening of his expression, it was clear to see that he did.
Harumi was an older sibling.
(Like me, I had been an older sister, once.
I could no longer remember her face.)
He knew, better than anyone, what it was to hold the weight of a loved one's future.
Harumi spun on his heel, muttering something under his breath as he strolled over to one of the costume racks and plucked one of the covered outfits from the fold. When he returned, he knelt onto one knee and laid out the costume between us. "I was going to save this for later, for when you needed it, but I suppose now is as good a time as any. Do you remember all those months back, when you left before having gotten your Gods of Olympus outfit?"
I nodded, brow furrowed in confusion at the sudden change of topic.
"Tell me, which goddess did you think I had chosen for you?"
"Um…" I had to think back on it, because the thought had been there, once, and for obvious reasons it wasn't on the forefront of my mind. "I guess Artemis, or maybe Athena."
Mostly Artemis, because that was the kind of humor the universe liked to have at my expense and I just wouldn't put it past fate.
The laugh that left Harumi was soft as he said, "Ah, yes, I can see why. But it was not Artemis, fierce and unwavering, or the wise Athena that fit you best, my dear." He unzipped the bag then, and as the floor length gown revealed itself my breath caught in my throat. Deep red, almost burgundy, with leaves and white flowers embroidered at the hem; the embroidery trailed up the sides, dancing along the open back and trimming up the collar. The straps were dark brown and bark-like, similar to the belt around the waist. There was a laurel as well, of burgundy roses and dark wood. "It is not calculating Athena, or wild Artemis, but Persephone, that suits you so well."
"And when I say Persephone, do not mistake that to mean the flower maiden spirited away into the Underworld. No, when I say Persephone, I speak of the Goddess who walked willingly into the earth, through the gates of Hell as though they already belonged to her and bewitched the God of Death. Made him look at her and see salvation. Goddess of Spring; she who made Hades himself kneel, lay his kingdom at her feet, and deem her Queen. Flowers may have bloomed at her feet but they also withered there."
Fingers brushed at my chin, tilting so that I met those gold, fierce eyes.
"If you must go, then go." He said. "Do not allow the consequences to weigh you down as they do now; do not bow your head and wear that guilt like a second skin. The ruthlessness within you is a virtue that very few can ever hope to understand. Make no apology for it. Go, and do what must be done in order to bring her home. It was not the huntress or the warrior that I saw in you, though they would fit you well enough. You have always been a rose; deceptively sweet, willing to make those that underestimate you bleed."
"Go, and show them what it means to threaten what you hold dear."
My last night at Matsuo's apartment was spent preparing and going over the plan.
When morning came, I set about our usual routine of eating breakfast together and then seeing him off at the door. As Matsuo slipped on his coat and wrapped a scarf around his neck, I had the sudden urge to bury myself into him; to wrap my arms around this person that, despite all reason, continued to love me. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me, that I had well and truly been saved by his kindness, but I couldn't.
I could do none of these things because they were warning flags he would not ignore, would not dismiss. Any sign of change would trigger him to keep a closer eye on me and check in, and I couldn't afford that right now. So, with a sinking stomach I watched as he slipped on his shoes and walked out the door.
Somehow, it seemed that we were never destined for goodbyes.
Half an hour later, after raiding the cupboards I locked the apartment behind me and set out. First to Rei's house in order to get my extra bag. I stopped on the way out and sent a prayer of apology to whomever for having used this place as a makeshift safe house.
Then, after transforming, I went to tie up one last loose end. An apology in the midst of betrayal.
Interlude: Rini P.O.V.
She had never liked lying.
Nia had always said that lying was to be saved only "for truly desperate measures" and Rini's tutors also said that it "was unbecoming of a young lady such as yourself, Hime-sama", so she tried not to lie, when she could help it. But there were times when it was okay to lie, like when Usagi needed her help.
So today Rini had lied, and she didn't feel bad for it.
"How is the watch treating you?" Usagi asked, and together they looked down where their hands met, the pink device sitting snugly around Rini's wrist. Usagi still didn't have one yet, and Rini had only just gotten hers a few days back after Ami had decided her ball wasn't good enough for reaching them. After having left it in the park that one day, Rini thought she'd had a point.
"It's fine." She tugged on Usagi's hand. "What super secret mission are we on today?"
A snort. "What makes you think we're on a secret mission?"
"Obviously because you picked me up from school, made me call Makoto-chan, and tell her I was going to play at a friend's house and that you would drop me off." Plus, every time she came to get Rini, it involved a secret to keep from the rest of the Order. Rini didn't like lying, but somehow it never bothered her when it was Usagi asking her to lie. Maybe because she was the only one that let Rini help out and told her things, when everyone else said she was too young.
"Point taken." Usagi turned an inquisitive eye to her, and added, "You know, you're really sassy for a six year old."
"I'm seven. Almost eight." Which was far too old to need someone holding her hand in the street; that sort of thing was for babies after all, and Rini was almost in her second year, so clearly she wasn't a baby. Usagi seemed to need it though — like something might happen if Rini wandered too far — and she was Sailor Moon and kind of awesome so Rini wasn't going to say no.
"Same difference."
They turned a corner, and as the house came into view Rini noted, rightly peeved, "You didn't answer my question."
"Ah, right. The great and mysterious mission. Well, squirt, it's a bit complicated so why don't we go inside first and then we can get into the details." And then before Rini could protest she was being shuffled forward, through the small, iron wrought front gate and up the two steps of Usagi's secret lair.
It was in the entry way as they were discarding their shoes that she noticed the changes. The lamp they had bought now had a lightbulb and was tucked nicely into one corner, next to the near empty shoe rack. A long beige rug had been added to the hallway, and, looking at the walls, Rini saw the empty paintings that had been hung. She stared for a moment, unsure, and then felt the need to point out, "those paintings are missing their paint, Usagi-chan."
She spared them the barest of glances before turning her attention back to the wall above the shoe racks, setting their coats on the hooks. "Indeed they are. Hand me your watch?"
She did, and Usagi tucked it into Rini's backpack with her ball. "…Where did the paint go?"
"It hasn't been painted yet, they're just blank canvases." Usagi said, as though it should be obvious. Unfortunately, however, it was not obvious and Rini still wasn't sure she understood. She tried to picture her father having an empty canvas hung from one of the palace walls, and simply could not; she did not even consider her mother, it simply wasn't something the Queen would do. Every painting in the Crystal Palace was filled; portraits, historical works, landscapes, every piece of art there represented something.
Usagi looked at her and seemed to read Rini's confusion, and with a fond sigh she explained, "It's for when Serenity comes back. I figured it would be better to… make our own art rather than hang something she might hate. Plus, this way will be far more fun."
"Huh." Rini said, for lack of anything better.
Sometimes it was easy, so so easy, to forget that this person was The Destroyer of her childhood stories. Usagi was a very odd person that did normal things like shopping, and then created strange games like Battle Royale, or bought a bunny suit for an Order member, or hung empty paintings on the walls, just because she could.
Yet this odd girl really was the Sailor Moon of Rini's childhood.
A little while later, the two of them sat perched on the couch, Rini waiting patiently for whatever it was Usagi needed help with while the girl in question looked everywhere but at her. She noted how the older girl's hands repeated the same motion of smoothing the fabric of her pants. It stung a little, to watch her gaze bounce around the room, seeing everything save for Rini herself. Usagi… she had always been the one person to listen, to recognize her when the others and even her own mother rarely did. Rini didn't like being ignored by Usagi. She really didn't.
"So what are we doing today?" She leaned closer to make sure she had Usagi's attention.
Her hands paused, folding together. "Right. I have a request I was hoping you could help me with. I've been thinking about the situation with Crystal Tokyo, and it would probably be best to get more information if we're to do anything about it."
Rini's breath caught in her throat. Usagi was finally going to help her family.
"Anything," She said. "I'll tell you anything you need to know." She was going to save them!
"Great." Usagi smiled.
The next few hours went by quickly.
Rini did her best to describe the layout of the Crystal Palace, and the Tokyo of her time. Usagi asked a lot of questions, mostly focused on the library, kitchens, and defense system. Rini relayed what little information she knew of the Dark Moon Clan, and apologized for not knowing more.
"That's okay, you don't need to worry about that." Usagi said. "With Berthier in our custody, we can get whatever information we need. What I do need to know, however, is how you came to the past…"
At that, she stilled.
It wasn't her biggest secret, yet Rini had learned that there were some things it was better to keep to yourself. Usagi wanted to help her though. She was doing exactly as Rini had hoped she would. Slowly, she pulled the chain around her neck out from under her school uniform. At the end hung a key.
"Oh…" Usagi's breath left her.
"It's a space-time key." Rini explained quietly. "I just need to point at anything, turn it, and a portal to the future opens."
Usagi nodded. "So the Dark Moon clan is coming here by different means. A third gate to the past."
Third?
She began to ask what Usagi meant when the older girl stood and took her by the hand. "Okay, I've got this figured out for the most part. You've been really helpful, Rini. There's one more thing though, something I want to show you."
"Oh, alright." Rini followed her, face flushed. Finally, she had done something right. Would her parents forgive her, when Sailor Moon saved the day? Rini still hadn't told Usagi about that… and she didn't think she ever would. No one had to know how much of it had been Rini's fault.
Out in the hall, Usagi led her to the closet, and gestured for Rini to open it.
Confused, she reach for the handle and twisted, half expecting to find another bad guy tied up. But no, the closet was empty. "What-"
Something shoved at her, and she fell forward, hitting the wood floor hard enough to make her knees sting. Rini whipped her head back just as the door slammed shut. A scraping noise echoed in the hallway, and the doorknob shifted as though something had been pushed against it. Above her head a light flickered on. Her heart dropped. "Usagi-chan?"
The words were faintly, barely discernable through the door. "I'm sorry, Rini."
"Please," She cried, "Please don't leave me Usagi-chan. Let me out!"
But there was only silence. And it was there, in the confines of the closet, that Rini reached down for her necklace, for solace, only to find that it was gone.
Her key to the future was gone.
Interlude: Berthier P.O.V.
Berthier didn't know how many days she had been locked in this cell.
She supposed it did not matter.
There was no desire to break free, no drive to escape and return to the future, to her master. For Berthier, there was nothing save for the hollowness where her magic had once been, and the sensation that she was slowly, slowly decaying from the inside out. The battle waged with the blessing of The Destroyer had torn at Berthier from within, and it had hurt, more than any pain she had ever known, but now that battle was ended. That war had finished, and she could do naught but curl against the cool stone wall as part of her rotted.
She was ruin made flesh.
For the millionth time, peering through the bars into her cell the guardian Venus stood, attempting to make Berthier reveal her secrets.
"How many members are of the Black Moon Clan are there? …What are their names? …Who leads you? …How do you travel between our eras?"
For the millionth time, she would fail.
Always the same questions. Never asked until her health had been inquired over. Sailor Venus was well known in the Crystal Empire; Advisor to the Queen, member of the High Council, Commander of the Royal Guard. Her interrogation techniques — slipping between gentle and kind to cold and demanding — would have been frightening and may have worked, had Berthier the sense to feel… anything. All she knew now was loss, an utter despair that had dug its claws in deep enough for her to know that only death awaited her.
She and her sisters had chosen this life, had clung to it with desperate hands in order to free themselves of the Crystal Empire. Each of them walked this path to Rubeus, their back turned to the monarch they had not chosen, the one they swore they would never bow to. In the end though, it had not mattered that she had forsaken Earth and the original light of her magic in order to forge her own fate.
Sailor Moon had brought Berthier to her knees anyway.
All that she had sacrificed… it had been for nothing. Even with the gift of Wiseman to bolster her magic, she still had not been strong enough to defeat Sailor Moon, and without knowing why, part of her doubted any of them would be a match. Berthier had the strangest inkling that, pushed too far, Sailor Moon would undoubtedly destroy them all. Certainly, if she had been alive in the thirtieth century, none of them would have survived past their first attack on Crystal Tokyo.
Sailor Venus sighed heavily. "We will continue this tomorrow. Rest well, Berthier."
With that, she departed, leaving the dark haired guard to watch over her until another came to relieve him.
For a moment, she allowed her gaze to rake over him, to take in the details of his wavy brown mane, strong built, and sharp eyes. The center of his brow bore the Queen's mark, a silver crescent moon. He, too, was familiar, though in a far vaguer sense that, quite frankly, Berthier couldn't bring herself to fish for; part of the Queen's faction, but not important enough to warrant remembrance.
How pathetic.
She had begun to shift her attention back to the cell wall when a creek sounded from the top of the stairs, followed by footsteps.
Her guard turned towards the noise. "Forget something?"
"Not exactly." Came the reply, and both he and Berthier stiffened, because that was not Sailor Venus.
The voice was distinctive; one that had been playing in her mind day after day, dismissing everything Berthier was and stood for.
It was the last voice she ever wanted to hear.
The Destroyer strolled down the stairway as though the very steps had been paved for her, and approached the guard without even the slightest glance towards Berthier.
"Bit late for you, isn't it?" Her tone was… playful, and strong in a way that spoke of complete confidence. Sailor Moon was at home here, at ease.
It made her a good target.
The perfect target, really, for someone willing to strike such a blow. Berthier was not that someone, however; she would never be that someone, her will to fight had long since gone and she was not the risk taker her sisters were.
(There was also the nagging sensation that whispered The Destroyer's lax was false, and the fool that fell into that trap would suffer greatly for it.)
Koan was the only one of them that had had the sense to be cautious of Sailor Moon. Where the rest of them had dismissed the famed warrior, she had been hesitant, and that hesitation had served to save her, in the end. Berthier found herself grateful for that, and it was an odd feeling, one she had not had for many, many years, far before the Black Moon Clan. The newfound affection she had for the youngest Ayakashi sister was strange and almost foreign, nothing like what she had felt for Rubeus.
She wanted to hold on to it.
The guard had said something in reply, making them both chuckle, and it was then that Sailor Moon made her move, striking out at the guard-
Only for him to duck the swipe and come back up with a forceful shove, pinning her to the wall, his forearm pressed against her neck. She did not struggle, merely eyed him contemplatively as he stared back, unabashed.
"What's this about, Usagi?"
She cocked a brow. "Aren't you going to holler for reinforcements, Nephrite?" Sailor Moon said it in a way that suggested the guard — Nephrite — would not be doing so. For a moment they analyzed one another, before finally, with a resigned release of breath, Nephrite broke the silence.
"Whatever it is you're here to do, you could at least have the decency to tell me rather than attack while my guard is down. We're both part of this Order, after all." With that, he released her, taking a few steps back to fall into his chair. "I assume you have your reasons, so spit it out already. What plan do you have up your sleeve this time?"
And, with alarming frankness, The Destroyer said, "I'm going to save Serenity and I need that one in order to do it."
She had gestured to Berthier.
To her.
And just then it dawned upon her, that whether she wanted it or not, Berthier would have her chance for vengeance, for escape, for the return to the Black Moon Clan and Wiseman and his black crystals. A chance to splatter every single one of these people against the unforgiving walls of the Crystal Palace their future counterparts had so loved.
Yet as a truce was made and the bars of her cell slid open, as the girl that had stripped her of everything she was stood over her, Berthier could only think of one thing.
Koan.
Matsuo P.O.V.
When his evening shift at the Fabler began, she wasn't there.
It was not unusual; sometimes Usagi took off to do Order work or whatever else it was she did while the rest of them were in class. So when his shift began and she wasn't around, he didn't think much of it. Only later, as the evening ticked by and Harumi was forced to work the floor in place of an absent employee, did Matsuo wonder why he had not called Usagi in to pick up the extra shift.
So he asked.
Harumi shrugged, casting an eye about the room. "Oh, I believe she has plans tonight and it just doesn't seem fair to call her in. That girl really does work her butt off here."
That was fair, he supposed, and yet as the night went on and Matsuo's shift ended, he was left with the nagging thought that she wasn't on call tonight. It was Naru's turn to hold down the fort, with Ami and Makoto on call, and Nephrite on guard duty. So what other plans could she have had at this hour?
Maybe…
He used the line at the Fabler, dialing a number he had long memorized.
After a few rings, Mamoru picked up.
"Hey, are you with Usagi-chan?" Matsuo asked, very carefully not panicking. He wasn't going to freak out, because freaking out meant there was something wrong and there wasn't. Everything was fine. Everything was great. It's just that Usagi wasn't around at the moment for reasons he had yet to verify, and if she was with Mamoru then that was a good thing. God knew the man tried hard enough.
Mamoru paused.
"No, I haven't seen her today. Last I heard she had taken Rini to a friend's house this afternoon. She isn't back yet?" There was clanging in the background, followed by the slam of what sounded like a door.
"She wasn't at the apartment when I got home from school."
"But her things were still there?"
"Yeah." Matsuo shifted, lowering his voice. "It's just… I don't know. Something doesn't feel right to me."
If Mamoru thought he was blowing things out of proportion, he didn't say it. "Alright, let's meet up at headquarters. We can check on her whereabouts from there, just to make sure everything's alright."
That was a good, logical suggestion.
He ran over the thought a couple dozen times until he was at the warehouse. Surprisingly, Minako and Ami were still there, having not gone home for the night. Matsuo filled them and Naru in on the situation in a way that very carefully did not make him out to be a paranoid freak, finishing up just as Mamoru arrived.
"I checked your apartment." He said. "Nothing looks like it's missing other than her coat and boots, and obviously she's wearing them."
As Ami took her place at the supercomputer, Naru trailed after, coffee in hand as she leaned back against the control center. "Wait a second. Wasn't Rini supposed to stay with Usagi tonight? I could have sworn Makoto mentioned it earlier in class."
"She did," Minako began faintly, "But I just saw Usagi here not too long ago, and Rini wasn't with her. I thought… I thought maybe she was with Mamoru when Usagi showed up."
Matsuo traded a grim glance with Mamoru, both intimately aware now that something just wasn't adding up.
"I've located both devices." Ami confirmed. "Looks like they're in a neighborhood across town. I don't recognize the area as one any of us are familiar with."
Mamoru began to pace. "It's far too late for Rini to be at her friend's house. Wouldn't the parents have asked them to go home by now?"
Matsuo was inclined to agree. It was well past Rini's bedtime if she wanted to be in school tomorrow morning. As they stared at the supercomputer, something seemed to occur to Minako because with a sharp intake of breath, she spun on her heel and stalked across the warehouse, disappearing into the basement.
Ami attempted to make contact with Rini. No answer.
As she tried again, Matsuo caught a faint buzzing sound. Naru straightened, setting down her cup on the control center and pulled out her cellphone. It was the newest model, a Motorola StarTAC that had just come out a month prior. Flip phones, Naru had insisted, were the epitome of modern communication. She also claimed that eventually everyone was going to have one, but then, Naru was wealthy. Most of the Order couldn't afford such luxuries. For the rest of them, the wrist watched provided adequate communication.
"Someone needs to go check that house out." Ami said after yet another failure to reach Rini. "There could be something going on there, and at the very least we need to investigate why their trackers haven't moved from that location in some time."
Mamoru nodded his agreement. "Matsuo and I can go. Ami, call a few of the others in. Makoto since she's on call, and whoever else you think might be of use here. Rei, perhaps, or Jadeite."
The basement door slammed open.
"They're gone." Minako spat, breathless and seething all at once. "Nephrite, Berthier; they're both gone and Usagi isn't in the building, either. I saw her less than an hour ago. There's no way she could have gotten across town in that time."
A shattering sound echoed through the warehouse, and each of them turned to the source of the noise. At Ami's side, Naru had braced herself against the control center, pale and unseeing as the person through the phone continued speaking. Her mug was in pieces at the floor, remnants of coffee spilling past the wreckage. After a moment she flipped the cellphone shut, ending the call.
Ami placed a gentle hand on her wrist. "Naru, what is it? What's wrong?"
"My… mother. She's awake."
A/N
Quickly, I will reveal which Hogwarts House the Order members would be sorted into:
Ravenclaw: Ami, Mamoru, Jadeite Gryffindor: Nephrite, Kunzite, Rei
Slytherin: Usagi, Naru, Zoisite Hufflepuff: Matsuo, Minako, Makoto
Honorable Mentions: Serenity: Hufflepuff, Hajime-Sensei: Hufflepuff, Harumi: Slytherin, Luna: Ravenclaw, Artemis: Hufflepuff.
Why are there so many Hufflepuffs, you ask. Well, the thing is I wanted to be a Hufflepuff. I took that god forsaken pottermore test ten times and got Slytherin EVERY TIME. The universe is cruel and fickle.
Thoughts? Questions?
Please Review! (You might get an early update for it this time!)
